Secret-message-transmitting system



Jan. 24, 1928. 1,657,366

E. BELIN SECRET MESSAGE TRANSMITTING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 24. 1921 'llllllllllill s 6 [I Patented Jan. 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,657,366 PATENT ounce.

EDOUARD IBELIN, 0F PARIS, FRANCE.

SEGRET-MESSAGE-TRANSMITTIHG SYSTEM.

Application filed August 24, 1921, Serial No. 494,908, and in France December 24, 1924.

This invention relates to simple means for ensuring with certainty, secret transmission of telegrams, tracings of drawings or pictures in half tones, whether these transmissions are made by wire, (simple metal conductor with earth or closed circuit or whether they are made by wireless through the ordinary means of radio telegraph.

In the drawings accompanying this application, Fig. 1 is a or elements controlling release of the drums of the transmitter and receiver. l

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.

- i Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view representfront elevation of a translator,

ing the elements of the transmitting station,

and

Fig. 4 is a similar view representing the elements of the receiving station.

The method employedin the invention is applicable in a general way to any apparatus employing corresponding movable members, one at the transmitter and the other at the receiver, onwhich are placed respectively? the document to be transmitted and the sheet which is to receive the transmission.

The preferred form will be described in explaining the drawings but it will be understood that any other movable element may be utilized in place of the cylinders shown in the drawing, depending on conditions and convenience.

In the form represented in the drawings, the apparatus has for its object torender secret the transmissions by or without wire, 'which utilize at the outset a sheet rolled upon a cylinder A and explored by a point which is displaced by the reliefs of the sheet and which causes variations in the intensity or the duration of the local current. The

local current, varied in intensity or in duration, acts upon an optical system which promotes the photogra hic impression on a sensitive sheet rolle upon a cylinder B having numerical combinations analogous to that of the transmitting station.

that the two documents may correspond.

It is also necessary to the proper functioning of the apparatus that there be no recognizable impulsion. In order to materialize the conditions one may govern the two cylinders by regulated clocks and bring the beats or oscillations of the pendulum to coincidence by a special signal. This was-made the object of my Patent No. 1,260,303. In a sys tem thus combined, with a view to assuring the secrecy of the transmissions, it 18 provided that the cylinders B and A' regulated by the beatsof the isochronous pendulums startat' instants variable in the duration of the regulation beat.

It must therefore be well understood that between two regulation beats, there elapses a unit of time. Each turn of the-cylinders is made at a speed greater than these beats and begins at instants varied on this unit of time. If, for instance, one considers the unit of time to be equal to 1; if the arrangement is such, that the rotation of the cylinders is effected in one will have the liberty of disposing of an interval of rest of for 'these regulations of starting. I I

Therefore, one can, for example, make the cylinder start durin 6 consecutiveturns or revolutions at the to lowing moments:

Turn: at the end of the 2nd fraction.

. Turn: at the end of the 1st fraction.

. Turn: at the end of the 5th fraction.

. Turn: at the end of the 4th fraction.

Turn: at the end of the 3rd fraction. 6. Turn:

time. Thus there will beat:

whammyhave elapsed in the first seconds at restfor the turnt, of rest n n n n n n 4 n in $118 2d beat /5 l5 ,0

in the d u 5 n u n 1 n n n I 1:

ma 4th 7: 4 :2 n n 1/ I: n 4 1/ n in the h n s, n n n 1 n n 7; 2 6 n in the 6th 0 n n n 1 a n n n 5 n Whoever is not in possession of this rule, this secret, can in no case intercept a-trans mission, even if he had a listening apparatus like that whichis actually receiving and regulated by the same heat.

In order to obtain these varied startin'gs,

at the beginning of the of there has been devised the arrangement represented'in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4.

The driving shaft 12 drives the shaft 6 whose rotations are regulated by the beats of the pendulum 11 by means of an electric system of any kind; the shaft 6 will therefore turn in the unit of time. Y

On the shaft 6 there is a blade9 (contact piece) whichaturns in the interior of the six rings 5 and touches each one of them with a stud 8. During this time the shaft 6 actuates a distributor 10 which turns one sixth as fast as the shaft 6. This distributor puts at each turn of shaft 6 one of its studs and one of the rings 5 into a local circuit.

The member formed by the rings '5 and shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises the rings 5 which are equally spaced and in parallel relation to each other and have the common shaft them. Each ring may be individually moved in relation to the shaft 6-by the micrometer tangential screw 7. The rings have on their inner surfaces the conducting studs or .pins 8 and each of'the rings is leads 20 with the segments of the distributor 10. The contacting blade is fixed to the shaft 6- and at each revolution of the shaft 6 the blade 9 contacts in turn with the studs 8, closing the circuits. As soon as the blade 9 touches the stud 8 of the ring 5 put into circuit by the distributor 10, the current started promotes the release of the cylinder A which turns six times faster than the shaft6, and one can realize the combinations of which an example is given above. In the.

case developed one would have obtained the combination of the secret by putting in line the ciphers of the rings 215430, which constitutes the key to the system. The numbers 215430 are simply a key and represent but one of the 1,000,000 combinations possible by choosing 6 numbers at a time from a possible 10". At the receiving end (Fig. 4) the system interposed between the pendulum 14: and the shaft of the blade permits of the. synchronization of the rotation of this shaft with the shaft 6 of the transmitter (Fig. 3). For this, the pendulum li regulates the rotation of the plate C, and on the latter a displaceable contact starts the current of release at the exact instant in which the clock 11, releases the shaft 6 (one obtains this'synchronism by means of observations with) a telephone receiving circuit or otherwise the same positionas that of the transmitter, thecylinder'B will be started atthe same instant as the cylinder A, and turning with the same speed, there will be an exact coinci-. dence in the time of the rotations of these two cylinders. It will suflice if the receptor arranges the ciphers of the rings 5 in order to form the instantaneous key 21 5430. When the transmitter and the receiver are 6 passing through connected by the The rings of the receptor being in placed on the same key, the document sent clear from the movable member of the transmitting station periodically closes the cir-- cuit of the battery S. This allows the current to how through the electromagnet 30 and attract the armature 31 which on being displaced releases'the stop 32 on the disc 33 which is attached to the shaft 6 allowing the shaft to make a revolution. As the contact 9 closesthe circuits between the rings 5 and the segments of the distributor 10 the electromagnets B and 15 are energized. The armature 34 being attracted by its magnet B operates the clutch composed of the members A and C .Thearmature 35 being simultaneously attracted by its magnet B releases a stop 36 on a disc 37 which is secured to the shaft of the cylinder A. The cylinder A is then free to rotate and suitable mechanism such as is disclosed in my copending application filed March 3, 1922, Serial No. 540,905, is employed for transmitting to the receiving station whatever may be placed on the cylinder A.

The receiving station with the exception of the impulse receiving device C which has beendescribed is similar to the transmitting station and the parts bear like reference characters. A. sensitized surface applied to the cylinder B receives what is being transmitted from the transmitting station.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in What-manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. The method of secret transmission by signals which comprises means for synchronizing the operatlng time period of the transmitting and receiving means, and means adapted to regulate the simultaneous operation of the said transmitting and receiving apparatus, thesaid simultaneous operation commencing at variableinstants.

2.-The method of secret transmission by signals which comprises means for synchronizing the operating time period of the transmitting and receiving means, and means adapted to'regulate the simultaneous operation of the said transmitting and receiving apparatus, the said simultaneous operation commencing at variable instants, in the time units of the beats of the synchronizingmeans.

3. Means for secret transmission comprising a transmitter and a receiver, means adapted to synchronize the time periods of the operations of the transmitter and receiver, and means adapted to start simultaneously the operations of the said transmitting and receiving apparatus at variable instants in the time units of the beats of the said synchronizing means.

4. Means for secret transmission comprising movable members located at the transmitting and receiving stations, pendulums located at the said stations adapted to synchronize the said movable members, and local electric breaks adapted to actuate the said movable members between two beats of the pendulums at the same instant at both stations.

5. In an apparatus for transmitting secret messages comprising a transmitter having in each cycle of its movement idle and transmitting periods, and means for determining at will the, relative extent of the idle to the transmitting periods of each cycle.

6. In an apparatus for transmitting secret messages comprising a transmitter having in eachcycle of its movement idle and trans.- mitting periods, and means for determining at will the relative extent of the idle to the transmitting periods of each cycle, and a receiver responsive only to the signals transmitted during the transmitting periods.

7. In an apparatus for transmitting secret messages by signals, means adapted to regulate the simultaneous operation of a transmitter and a receiver, comprising regulating shafts, the said regulating shafts supporting movable contacts and encircling these movable contact-s suitable rings, each of said rings being displaceable at will in relation to said shafts.

8. In an apparatus for transmitting secret ortin movable contacts and encirclin these movable contacts suitable rings, each of said rings being displaceable at will in relation to said shafts by means of a tangential screw.

' 9. In an apparatus for transmitting secret messages by signals, means adapted to regulate the simultaneous operation of a trans mitter and a receiver, comprising regulating shafts, the said regulating shafts sup porting movable contacts and encircling these movable contacts suitable rings, each of said rings being displaceable at will in relation to said shafts, each of these rings being connected with a collector.

10. In an apparatus for transmitting secret messages by signals, means adapted to regulate the simultaneous operation of a transmitter and a receiver, comprising regulating shafts, the said regulating shafts supporting movable contacts and encircling these movable contacts suitable rings, each of said rings being displaceable at will in relation to said shafts, each of these rings being connected with a collector; each of said rings having a conducting stud and adapted to contact with the movable contact.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDOUARD BELIN. 

